Teaching Your Dog to Stay Off Your Furniture

As with ANY behavior problem you need to train your dog so that it understands EXACTLY what you want. This is known as setting rules and boundaries.

Begin by putting a leash on your dog and sit on the floor next to, or in front of the item of furniture you want the dog to say off of. 

When the dog starts to put a paw on it, or moves to jump up on it, give a light leash correction and say "OFF" or "NO" in a loud and firm tone.

With a Chihuahua or other small breed, the dog may make it up, and on to, the furniture before you make the first few corrections. In this case, use very light pressure on the leash to coax the dog off of the furniture. (but don't pull or pick up the dog). While using light pressure on the leash, say, "GET DOWN" or "OFF" ... When she is back on the floor praise her for getting down.

Remember, when you are trying to extinguish a behavior your timing is VERY important. You must make the leash correction and the verbal correction at the split second the dog starts to jump up so that she understands what you are correcting her for.

As with all training, keep your sessions short. Advanced training should be kept under 10 minutes in length. Always do something that the dog likes to do when the session ends. Playing with the dog's favorite toy or going for a walk will keep your dog interested in training. Because there is a "fun time" following the training, it will make the dog more willing to train well.